The Dallas Cowboys faced a few important decisions on Sunday's primetime game versus the Philadelphia Eagles that are still being discussed.

The biggest of which came in the first half – with the team down 14 to nothing and fresh off Cooper Rush's first interception the drive before – when CeeDee Lamb crossed the first down marker but the zebras called him short.

At that point, the Cowboys could've challenged it and would've likely gotten the first down based on several replay angles. Close plays usually aren't overturned because there has to be "indisputable video evidence" and that's tough to get. But this one didn't seem close at all after watching the replay.

Lamb had that first down. Clear as day.

But in the heat of battle, the Cowboys lined up determined to go for it on fourth down despite being in their own territory. Unfortunately, the play was blown up by the Eagles as Rush struggled to find his second read after CeeDee Lamb's route was interrupted by Noah Brown's blocking assignment.

And then here is the bizarre 4th and 1 decision. They go right to the favorite bootleg, but Lamb is taken out by Noah Brown's block attempt on Reddick. This leaves an open Hendershot, but the throw is well behind him. Disaster. pic.twitter.com/qqdu4KQNqK

— Bob Sturm (@SportsSturm) October 17, 2022

If Dallas moves the chains there, we're probably not discussing the decision to not challenge the third down.

"The ball cleared the marker before the knee was down," said Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy of Lamb's catch.

On Monday, the coach seemed to suggest the way the process took place gave the team little confidence in a potential reversal.

"But you know, I took you through how it all went down last night. How we went from a first down and then a fourth down. That's the facts of the matter. Obviously, we didn't convert on the fourth down. Those are the kind of things that keep me up at night."

The way I see it, challenging the call on the field after that third down would've been ideal. But based on McCarthy's comments and the NBC broadcast booth, the refs originally were poised to call a first down and then determined it was fourth down.

When there's even a fraction of a doubt, calls are not overturned. It's easy to understand why McCarthy felt like the Cowboys wouldn't get the officials' favor on that one.

All that being said, I've got to say I absolutely loved the call to go for it.

Yeah, it was fourth-and-one and you were in your own territory. But knowing the context of the game, the Cowboys had to know 14-0 was a pretty bad spot to be in with Cooper Rush at the wheel. If you're going to trust your defense to keep you in it, might as well do it the aggressive way.

Had the Cowboys moved the chains, it would've been a major morale boost for the team and it would've set the tone for the team's efforts moving forward. Dallas would've had a shot at making it a one-possession game on that same drive, something that didn't happen until the third quarter.

"We got the coverage that we were looking for on the play," said McCarthy of the play-call. I would definitely say schematically it was the right call for that situation. Our execution could've been cleaner."

That was only one of two controversial fourth-down attempts. With less than two minutes to go in the second quarter and the score at 20-0, the Cowboys opted to kick a 30-yard field goal to make it 20-3.

Since it's fair to point out that Dallas cut the deficit to only three points in the second half, I can't be overly critical of this decision. However, I believe there's an argument to be made the team would've benefited from treating that spot as four-down territory. After all, a field goal didn't change the fact that the Cowboys trailed by three possessions.

Perhaps a third-down run would've gotten the offense closer. We'll never know but that's one I bet the coaching staff will at least evaluate in case they're ever in a similar spot.

Featured image via Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports